Elleanthus gracilis (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1863 SUBGENUS Amethetinoidaea Szlach & Dudek 2023

Drawing by © Dunsterville & Garay

Common Name The Slender Elleanthus

Flower Size .24" [6 mm]

Found in Merida state of Venezuela, Antioquia, Risaralda and Valle de Cauca departments of Colombia, Pichincha province of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia at elevations around 2800 to 3200 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with long, thin, decumbent, branching at considerable distance, single to 2 to 3 stems grouped together, carrying rather thin, klinear-lanceolate, long acuminate, plicate, three nerved beneath, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaves that blooms in the summer through fall on a terminal, erect, subglobose to ovoid, sessile, 1" [2.5 cm] long, densely many flowered inflorescence with quaquaversal, linear-lanceolate, long-acuminate, decreasing in size towards the top, floral bracts and carrying flowers that are thin in texture and purplish in color.

"Similar to E escobarii but differs in the smaller lip and different lip calli which are ovoid versus transversely ellipsoid ovoid." Szlatchetko & Kolanowska 2023

Synonyms *Evelyna gracilis Rchb.f. 1850

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Linnaea 22: 842 Rchb.f 1850 as Evelyna gracilis

*Ann. Bot. Syst. 6: 481 Rchb.f 1863

Flora Brasilica Vol XII II 13-43 Hoehne 1945;

Flora de Venezuela Volumen 15 Parte 1 Foldats 1969 drawing fide; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 6 Dunsterville & Garary 1976;

Flora of Ecuador 225[1] Orchidaceae Garay 1978;

Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing fide;

Icones Plantarum Tropicarum Plate 525 Dodson 1982 drawing good;

Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 230 Bennett & Christenson 1995 drawing good;

Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing ok;

Native Ecuadorian Orchids vol 2 Dodson 2001 drawing fide;

Flora of the Venezuelan Guyana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003;

Orchids of Bolivia Vol II Laelinae Vasquez & Ibisch 2004 drawing fide;

Flora of Ecuador 225[3] Orchidaceae Dodson 2010 drawing fide;

Orchids of the Department of Valle de Cauca Colombia Vol 1 Kolanowska & Szlachetko 2012 drawing fide;

Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol IV:284 Szlatchetko & Kolanowska 2023 drawing fide

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